Proposed is the continuation of our educational program for pre-doctoral fellows in Cancer Epidemiology and Control. We aim to build on the program which we have developed in the past four years, working to train outstanding scientists prepared for the rapidly changing field of cancer epidemiology, skilled with a deep understanding of epidemiologic methods, with an integrated understanding of the biology and pathology of cancer and of other relevant disciplines and with the ability to engage in interdisciplinary research. We will combine excellent mentorship of researchers from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM) at the University at Buffalo (UB), others at UB and from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) to provide a curriculum including coursework, special seminars, and mentored interdisciplinary research. The proposed program provides a sub-specialty in cancer epidemiology and control, developing the training in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and expanding training collaborations. We propose to continue development and implementation of the specialized curriculum in cancer epidemiology emphasizing the integration of cancer biology and pathology as well as including opportunities for development of expertise in a number of other disciplines. This program would continue to provide for the development of cancer epidemiologists equipped to do cutting edge research and to handle the research challenges of the future. The objectives are to: recruit outstanding pre-doctoral fellows with a background in epidemiology or another relevant field and train them in cancer epidemiology and control with an integrated understanding of cancer biology, pathology and other relevant fields, by providing a structured curriculum in cancer epidemiology and those other fields; taking advantage of the opportunities and resources available through the partnership of SPM, other UB departments and RPCI, provide tailored hands-on opportunities for pre-doctoral fellows to develop research skills in epidemiology and control as well as in other related disciplines including biostatistics, cancer biology, cancer genetics, health behavior, toxicology, nutrition, immunology, or geographic information systems; and provide an understanding of and experience in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborative research. Working with an engaged advisory committee and with the advice of external advisors, we will continue to work to recruit a diverse cadre of young scientists with excellent credentials and train them to operate in a rapidly changing and challenging environment to move them toward careers as independent scientists, contributing significantly to our understanding of cancer epidemiology and control. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Proposed is the renewal of an interdisciplinary educational program for pre-doctoral fellows in cancer epidemiology and control. This program provides fellows with a specialized curriculum that includes classwork, seminars and mentored research training, integrating an in-depth understanding of epidemiologic methods with cancer biology and pathology as well as other relevant disciplines. All aspects of the program are focused on the development of outstanding researchers able to excel in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment to solve problems leading to improved prevention, treatment and prognosis for cancer.